Chef Ben McCauley

Executive Chef

A native of rural Maryland, Ben McCauley’s grandmothers have always been a driving force behind his style of cooking.  Because of their influence, Ben has always had a love for fresh, local ingredients.

Influenced by the work of Sean Brock, Ben began pursuing his culinary career by moving to Charleston, SC, where he cut his teeth under “The Godfather” of low country cuisine, Chef Frank Lee, learning how to coax the most flavor from a few ingredients. He gained invaluable knowledge as a stagiaire under such chefs as Brock, Craig Deihl, and Mike Lata while in Charleston.  From there he would move to New Orleans to work under Chefs Rick Tramanto and John Folse, gathering a wealth of knowledge about Cajun cooking, butchering and salumi making.  Ben was then given the opportunity to be a sous chef with Chris Shepherd of Underbelly in Houston, leading the restaurant’s off-site functions while working with the Houston Texans to provide exemplary food for fans, players, and staff.  While there, the Underbelly team garnered a James Beard Award for their revolving menu centered on using local farms and the variety of culinary influences on offer in Houston. Ben was later recruited to work with two-time James Beard award-winning chef, Alon Shaya, learning Israeli and Italian cuisines at Shaya and Domenica, respectively.  Under Shaya, Ben was in charge of charcuterie production for both restaurants.

Ben has taken the helm of the kitchen at Blixt & Company using all that he has learned from this list of culinary mentors to compliment your shooting days with one of a fine dining experience.